Plans by the state Department of Transportation to relocate an intersection in Burlington means a pair of property owners will lose functioning sewer systems.

The city of Burlington agreed this week to provide water and sewer services to the property, keeping the intersection project on track for completion next year.

In May, City Engineer Lanny Rhew told city council and staff that the NCDOT plans to relocate the intersection of N.C. 62 and Old Glencoe Road slightly north “because of visibility issues.” There have been numerous accidents at that intersection, said Alan Rothrock, NCDOT right-of-way agent.

“We’re moving it to the crest of the hill so people can see the traffic traveling south (on N.C. 62),” he said. “Right now it’s a blind spot.”

In fact, the intersection’s seen so many accidents, “It was designated a High Hazard Safety project,” said Mike Mills, NCDOT division engineer. As such, the $125,000 project will be funded with federal money from the High Hazard Safety Program, administered through the NCDOT, Mills said.

Moving the intersection involves relocating the driveway at 123 Old Glencoe Road, which will in turn affect the property owners’ septic field, Rhew said. “So the DOT made a request to the city for water and sewer taps to that residence,” which is currently outside city limits, Rhew said in May.

Burlington’s current policy requires a voluntary annexation petition including an agreement stating the property owners won’t contest annexation of their property in the future. In May, the city had only heard from the NCDOT, and not Gerry S. Helms and Carolyn R. Helms, who own the property in question.

On June 5, the Helms’ submitted to Burlington’s planning department the annexation petition and request for water and sewer services for their property at 123 Old Glencoe Road.

Rhew told council Tuesday night that the property owners are aware they’d be paying the double rates were their property unannexed, and he recommended providing the water and sewer services to them.

He added the city approved providing water and sewer services to a property just north of the Helms’ two years ago, and had elected not to annex the property. The city council, with Councilman Jim Butler and Mayor Pro-tem David Huffman absent, voted to provide the services to 123 Old Glencoe Road, without annexing.

The installation of taps for water and sewer by the city usually costs $3,000 each, Rhew said, but in this case the NCDOT will be supplying the taps, with no costs to Burlington or to the property owners.

If the city, state department and property owners couldn’t reach an agreement, the NCDOT would be able to “exercise a right of imminent domain,” and condemn the portion of property needed to move forward with the intersection relocation, which is a possibility whenever the department is acquiring rights-of-way for projects, Rothrock said.

Page 2 of 2 - “We should be close to acquiring all the right-of-way,” said Mills. “We’re hoping to let that project out to contract this October.”

Mills said once construction begins, the intersection relocation should be complete in about a year. He said little construction can be done during the winter months so, “the bulk of it will be done next spring or summer.”

Mills expects the project to be complete by September or October of 2014.